Why We Drive: The Past, Present and Future of Automobiles in America
By (Author) Andy Singer
Microcosm Publishing
Microcosm Publishing
1st May 2012
United States
General
Non Fiction
388.3420973
Paperback
160
Width 133mm, Height 172mm
168g
Today, people are married to their cars. But life behind the wheel of an automobile didn't come naturally to Americans - crooked politicians, unscrupulous businessmen, burning streetcars and convoluted tax shenanigans are a few of the players in this gripping tale of corruption, greed and endless miles of asphalt. Comics, text, and historic photographs tell the story of the rise of the U.S. highway system and the corresponding demise of rail and public transportation. Also shown is the story of how it is possible to ditch the car and rebuild a functional transport system.
..".concisely and candidly tell a story about how we got where we are today." --Lucas Lindsey, thisbigcity.net
"Vaguely reminiscent of "The Far Side" sketches of Gary Larson or Nick Park's "Wallace and Gromit," his cartoons typically feature puffy people in unhappy situations, a commentary on the supposed ease of car ownership." --Frederick Melo, twincities.com
"[...] refreshingly atypical and accessible. Casual readers will find much to enjoy here, and readers with mixed feelings about cars and car dependency will come away from "Why We Drive" with a great deal of food for thought." --Elizabeth O'Brien, newpages.com
."..useful reading for all transport activists..." --Gabriel Carlyle, "Peace News"
"When short-sighted boneheads like Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who turn down millions in stimulus money intended to fund the construction of light rail, start to see the economic value and heath benefits of scraping the car culture, we'll be heading further in the right direction. Until then, get on your bikes and ride!" --Chris Auman, reglarwiglar.blogspot.com
"Short and stylishly-illustrated, with a useful bibiography and directory of campaigning organisations, Singer's book will be useful reading for all transport activists." --Gabriel Carlyle, "Peace News"
."..concisely and candidly tell a story about how we got where we are today." --Lucas Lindsey, thisbigcity.net
"Andy Singer is a graphical genius with a passion to reform the way we arrange things on the landscape--namely the car-clogged wilderness of suburban dreck where most of us have to live. He makes this set of difficult issues easy to understand and points the way to a happier mode of existence in places that are worth caring about and worth living in. Every politician in America should study this book." --James Howard Kunstler, author, "The Geography of Nowhere" and "The Long Emergency"
"[Singer's] work has always pointed out the innate absurdities in everyday American life." --"Salon.com"
"A merciless assault on one of the most prized aspects of modern culture. Both thought provoking and humerous" " --Oregon Cycling Mag" on "CARtoons"
"An engaging and witty collection." --"Patriot News"
"Andy Focuses on profound truths, distilling essential conundra of existence to a few simple lines in a single box." --Ted Rall
"Singer is an editorial cartoonist with an unerring eye for the absurdity of our current car dependence." --"E" magazine
Andy Singer is a cartoonist and illustrator whose drawings have appeared in numerous magazines and publications, including theBoston Globe, Discover, Esquire, the New Yorker, the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, and the Washington Post. At its peak, his weekly, self-syndicated comic strip, No Exit, ran in 24 papers. He is the co-chair of the Saint Paul Bicycle Coalition. He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.